Join the Conversation

Mesa primaries quick, decisive

Mesa mayoral, council candidates react to results

Sponsored by

Mayor winner

John Giles

"I'm very grateful to Alex Finter and to Scott Smith...They've got Mesa headed in a great direction. I also feel very fortunate that there's a great City Council to work with: experienced folks who know what they're doing...There's nothing I would rather be doing with my time and energy than helping with Mesa."

Mayor runner-up

Danny Ray

"We spread a message and got our message out there. Unfortunately, you can't overcome some obstacles. I would hope that we can be more fiscally responsible and focus on how our country was founded: on less government, not on more government."

District 5 winner

David Luna

"I'm very happy and very proud that Mesa elected a Latino, not just because I'm Latino, but because I can represent (voters) well, and I have the skills to do so. I want to focus on economic development and continue to follow the same path, especially with Falcon Field Airport."

District 5 runner-up

Robert Cluff

"I am disappointed but happy that I gave (Luna) a run for his money."

District 6 winner

Kevin Thompson

"I was surprised that the race wasn't closer, but I've been knocking on thousands of doors for more than a year. Our strategy was to focus on those early ballots, and I think the energy and effort there paid off. It showed that you don't have to have spent the most money to win."

District 6 runner-up

Trevor Hansen

"While...results didn't work out as we had hoped, I am grateful for the many friends who took this journey with us and for the many friends gained along the way...I plan to remain involved with community issues that impact the families of east Mesa. I also plan to be involved on supporting candidates who will bring stability within the Gilbert School Board."

In most Valley cities with Aug. 26 primaries, candidates and voters alike have been left holding their breath until the more definitive Nov. 4 runoff elections roll around.

Not so in Mesa.

After a quiet six years with only one competitive election, the city elected a new mayor, its first Latino councilman and a new east-side representative in a matter of hours.

Early results showed significant leads for mayoral frontrunner John Giles, District 5 incumbent David Luna and District 6 newcomer Kevin Thompson.

Vice Mayor Chris Glover, unopposed after opponent Kyle Jones dropped out of the race, won re-election, as well.

Each of the three contested races had drawn widespread attention in the months leading up to the primary. But the race for mayor, which had served as a launching pad for unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate Scott Smith, generated the most buzz.

"There's nothing I would rather be doing with my time and energy than helping with Mesa," an "extremely excited" Giles said after results came in.

The 54-year-old lawyer and former vice mayor of Mesa competed against 36-year-old political first-timer Danny Ray. Each proposed taking Mesa in a wildly different direction.

Throughout his campaign, Giles billed himself as a moderate who wanted to build on the momentum of Smith's tenure, with a few suggested tweaks. He advocated for infrastructure improvements and high-profile economic development on both sides of town, vowing to travel from coast to coast to "woo and romance" potential high-wage employers.

Ray, on the other hand, said Mesa was just fine as a bedroom community, and officials should dial back efforts to transform the city into something it's not. He amassed a less-prominent but nonetheless sizable grass-roots following after skewering city leadership for what he considered irresponsible levels of bond debt.

"We spread a message and got our message out there," Ray said after wrapping up a watch party with family and friends. "Unfortunately, you can't overcome some obstacles."

Giles is expected to be sworn in Sept. 18, allowing interim Mayor Alex Finter to return to his District 2 council seat. Giles plans to give a short speech laying out the vision for the mayor's office over the next few years at the ceremony.

"I want to be very engaged in social media and websites and try to be very current as far as technology and getting input from citizens of Mesa," he said. "Mesa is a big city. We're not in the shadow of Phoenix, we stand alone. We have nearly a half a million people, so it's time that we own that and kind of take our game to another level."

In District 5, incumbent Luna successfully defended his seat against challenger and "anti-politics politician" Robert Cluff, becoming the first Latino councilman elected by the public.

The 58-year-old director of education television for Mesa Public Schools had been appointed to the District 5 post last September after Dina Higgins resigned. Throughout the following year, he championed diversity and accessibility while advocating for economic-development opportunities and job growth.

Luna said he was "very proud" of his historic victory, "not just because I'm Latino, but because I can represent (voters) well, and I have the skills to do so." He plans to continue to focus on development at Falcon Field Airport, a District 5 asset that for months has been plagued by neighborhood disputes.

Cluff, Luna's opponent and the 51-year-old chief financial officer at software company LVM Systems, said he was "disappointed, but happy that I gave him a run for his money."

Cluff had made a point of rejecting campaign contributions and endorsements after announcing his candidacy. He said earlier in his campaign that he would not consider running again.

In District 6, voters had to decide who could best fill the shoes of term-limited Councilman Scott Somers, a consistent cheerleader for proactive economic-development efforts in the district since his 2006 election. They came down heavily on the side of Thompson, shattering expectations of a closer race.

The 46-year-old, who handles public affairs for Southwest Gas, had pushed past experience as a liaison between businesses and municipal officials throughout his campaign. He, too, was surprised by the wide margin in his race and commended opponent Trevor Hansen on his campaign.

"Our strategy was to focus on those early ballots, and I think the energy and effort there paid off," Thompson said. "It showed that you don't have to have spent the most money to win."

Thompson said his early efforts likely will center on retaining Mesa businesses and attracting new ones. Efforts to protect and leverage the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport area in particular are likely to dominate policy decisions in District 6.

Hansen, the 41-year-old vice president of Visualogistix, ran on the idea that his extensive technical expertise would help him streamline city processes and promote innovative ideas in the district.

"While...results didn't work out as we had hoped, I am grateful for the many friends who took this journey with us and for the many friends gained along the way," he said.

He plans "to remain involved with community issues that impact the families of east Mesa."

New council members are expected to be sworn in in mid- to late January.

Preliminary results

Tallies are based on early ballots and in-person voting and do not include provisional ballots. Percentages may not add up to 100 if write-in candidate(s) received votes.